Ilios Digital Organizing Blog

30 August 2017

Is your phone keeping you awake?

We’ve heard the reports that using our mobile devices before bedtime is a sure way to disrupt our sleep. Digital devices are emitting greater amounts of blue LED light these days in comparison to other light sources in our house. Recent studies show that blue light suppresses melatonin (the hormone the brain produces at night to induce sleepiness) more effectively than any other visible wavelength, potentially leaving people more alert when they would otherwise start feeling drowsy.

During the day, a little extra blue light from our computer doesn’t make a difference when we’re already getting so much from the environment. But all that changes at night. How many of us check our email, play a game, or look at Facebook before we turn off the bedside lamp? I know I”m guilty of it almost every night.

So if blue light before bed is bad for us, what are we supposed to do?

Some sources suggest a cool down period before we go to bed, making sure we turn off the screens at least a few hours before bedtime. But is this reasonable? For some, maybe. But for the rest of us, apps and native device settings can help.

F.lux is a free software tool that is both Mac and Windows compatible, and once set up, it will slowly adjust the hue of your computer screen as the sun sets. I have it on all my computers and you don’t really notice the change until you turn it off. Twilight is a popular blue light blocking app for Android, and Night Shift is an anti-blue light feature built into iOs 9.3 and later.

We know these apps combat the blue light effect, but the jury is still out on if they really help us sleep better. I’ve set blue light blockers on all my digital devices because I figure it can’t hurt!

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Ilios Digital Organizing Blog

18 January 2019

Are You In Sync?

When you move from one computer to another, do your bookmarks and settings follow you? Can you be reading an article in your office, then switch to your phone to finish the article as you wait in line at the store? If no, then what are you waiting for?

Chrome and Firefox both offer a version of account sync. You create an account, set up your browser to your preference – certain extensions, zoom level, home page, etc. – then when you log into another digital device and open the browser you will see the exact same setup. I have sync set up for Chrome, which is my primary browser, and Firefox which is my secondary browser.

Productivity wise, sync has been awesome because no matter what computer or device I am on, I have access to my bookmarks and recent tabs. I currently operate on three different computers and two mobile devices, so sync makes it mostly seamless. There have been a few hiccups trying to access recent tabs from another device (pulling up a web page I saw on my desktop when I am using my laptop), but overall its been great.

For more info about sync, check out the following articles about sync:

Want more time in your day?

4 January 2019

I was the girl who always had a book in her hand. At home, I stored books on bookshelves, under my pillow, or under the bed (that was where the romance novels were stashed when I was in high school!). In school I got in trouble multiple times for reading a paperback behind my textbook when I was supposed to be working. But what was I supposed to do? There were all these great things to read and not nearly enough time to read them all in!

These days I am more likely to be found reading online – books and fan fiction mostly, and articles or blogs that I follow. But just like the pile that used to stack up beside my bed, the online reading pile can get to be overwhelming. The amount of online fiction I’ve bookmarked should keep me busy till summer. To keep track of all the blogs I follow and articles I want to read, I used to use my browser bookmarks. But that was just another pile of things to go through. The great thing is, today there are several different options for keeping track of what you need to read.

Want more time in your day?

Are you ready to learn more about Digital Productivity and how to get out of the office quicker?

17 December 2018

2019 is almost here and I know there’s always the temptation to let things slide as we get to the end of the year. It’s vacation time, holidays, and everyone has so much to do outside of work. But before you take that next snow day – or rain day if you’re here in Southern California – there are three things you can do to set yourself up for success in 2019.

Get your inbox cleaned up – Remember all email is either an Action item, Reference item, and Trash item. Get those reference and trash items out of your inbox, leaving only action items that need your attention. (Psst…check out our post Inbox Hero for more details)

Back up your files – If you don’t have online backup already set, get started now! Don’t let all your hard work from 2018 be at risk. I’m a fan of Backblaze for online backup.

Clean out your Downloads folder – all those items have homes, make sure they get to them!

Take a few minutes today to prep for the new year. Then, take a few minutes for yourself to reflect on all the great things you accomplished in 2018!

Interested in more ways to increase your productivity? Schedule your Discovery Call today and let’s talk about how to get you more time and less stress.

Want more time in your day?

Are you ready to learn more about Digital Productivity and how to get out of the office quicker?

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11 December 2018

All the mental health articles tell us to, but do you ever manage to leave your email behind? I’ll admit that it’s the first thing I check when I get up in the morning, and I usually check it again right before I get ready for bed. Not because there is usually anything urgent, but it’s more of a habit than anything else. There are some days, though, where we do want to leave email behind. Vacation time, baby leave, even sick days are times when you might not be in your inbox regularly. I know that as entrepreneurs, ignoring email isn’t really an option. However, there are things you can do to manage expectations for those who are trying to get in touch with you when you’d rather be out of touch.

Want more time in your day?

Are you ready to learn more about Digital Productivity and how to get out of the office quicker?

6 December 2018

I’m trying something new! I’ve been a fan of and devoted user of Moleskine notebooks for years. Before I found Evernote I used my Moleskines for everything – notes about business, writing scenes, jotting down ideas, you name it. There is even a stack of used Moleskines, carefully indexed, on the top shelf of my closet. But since Evernote and I became BFFs, my Moleskines haven’t been seeing as much attention.

I still use my Moleskines for brainstorming and sketching out ideas, but almost all my writing is in Evernote now. For some reason, brainstorming and note taking on paper are easier for me. I keep the ‘neat’ version of my notes in Evernote. Maybe it’s a generational thing – I didn’t grow up with computers – or maybe its just a personal preference. Either way, where I used to go through a standard 5 x 8 Moleskine every couple of months, I’m down to two a year.

Want more time in your day?

Are you ready to learn more about Digital Productivity and how to get out of the office quicker?

28 November 2018

Records retention guidelines may vary in their recommendations, but you can usually consider these guidelines to apply to both paper and digital files. Yes, you could hang on to digital files longer since they appear to take up less space. But the question becomes, do you need to?

Instead of weeding through their digital files, many people purchase more cloud storage or an external hard drive. But consider this…purchasing that extra space is equivalent to purchasing a storage unit for your physical papers. Do you really want to do that?

Vital documents such as a birth certificate, marriage license, immunization records, etc. should be considered permanent. These are often in paper form, so go ahead and scan them into your computer to have a second copy you can keep ‘at home’ while you put the originals in a safe place. When discussing records retention, financial documents require special attention. I recommend contacting a lawyer or financial advisor if you have specific questions about keeping your investment reports or other financial paperwork.

For more information, check out these guidelines for how long to keep your records:

Ilios Digital Organizing Blog

18 January 2019

Are You In Sync?

When you move from one computer to another, do your bookmarks and settings follow you? Can you be reading an article in your office, then switch to your phone to finish the article as you wait in line at the store? If no, then what are you waiting for?

Chrome and Firefox both offer a version of account sync. You create an account, set up your browser to your preference – certain extensions, zoom level, home page, etc. – then when you log into another digital device and open the browser you will see the exact same setup. I have sync set up for Chrome, which is my primary browser, and Firefox which is my secondary browser.

Productivity wise, sync has been awesome because no matter what computer or device I am on, I have access to my bookmarks and recent tabs. I currently operate on three different computers and two mobile devices, so sync makes it mostly seamless. There have been a few hiccups trying to access recent tabs from another device (pulling up a web page I saw on my desktop when I am using my laptop), but overall its been great.

For more info about sync, check out the following articles about sync:

Want more time in your day?

4 January 2019

I was the girl who always had a book in her hand. At home, I stored books on bookshelves, under my pillow, or under the bed (that was where the romance novels were stashed when I was in high school!). In school I got in trouble multiple times for reading a paperback behind my textbook when I was supposed to be working. But what was I supposed to do? There were all these great things to read and not nearly enough time to read them all in!

These days I am more likely to be found reading online – books and fan fiction mostly, and articles or blogs that I follow. But just like the pile that used to stack up beside my bed, the online reading pile can get to be overwhelming. The amount of online fiction I’ve bookmarked should keep me busy till summer. To keep track of all the blogs I follow and articles I want to read, I used to use my browser bookmarks. But that was just another pile of things to go through. The great thing is, today there are several different options for keeping track of what you need to read.

Want more time in your day?

Are you ready to learn more about Digital Productivity and how to get out of the office quicker?

17 December 2018

2019 is almost here and I know there’s always the temptation to let things slide as we get to the end of the year. It’s vacation time, holidays, and everyone has so much to do outside of work. But before you take that next snow day – or rain day if you’re here in Southern California – there are three things you can do to set yourself up for success in 2019.

Get your inbox cleaned up – Remember all email is either an Action item, Reference item, and Trash item. Get those reference and trash items out of your inbox, leaving only action items that need your attention. (Psst…check out our post Inbox Hero for more details)

Back up your files – If you don’t have online backup already set, get started now! Don’t let all your hard work from 2018 be at risk. I’m a fan of Backblaze for online backup.

Clean out your Downloads folder – all those items have homes, make sure they get to them!

Take a few minutes today to prep for the new year. Then, take a few minutes for yourself to reflect on all the great things you accomplished in 2018!

Interested in more ways to increase your productivity? Schedule your Discovery Call today and let’s talk about how to get you more time and less stress.

Want more time in your day?

Are you ready to learn more about Digital Productivity and how to get out of the office quicker?

Email address

Secure and Spam free...

11 December 2018

All the mental health articles tell us to, but do you ever manage to leave your email behind? I’ll admit that it’s the first thing I check when I get up in the morning, and I usually check it again right before I get ready for bed. Not because there is usually anything urgent, but it’s more of a habit than anything else. There are some days, though, where we do want to leave email behind. Vacation time, baby leave, even sick days are times when you might not be in your inbox regularly. I know that as entrepreneurs, ignoring email isn’t really an option. However, there are things you can do to manage expectations for those who are trying to get in touch with you when you’d rather be out of touch.

Want more time in your day?

Are you ready to learn more about Digital Productivity and how to get out of the office quicker?

6 December 2018

I’m trying something new! I’ve been a fan of and devoted user of Moleskine notebooks for years. Before I found Evernote I used my Moleskines for everything – notes about business, writing scenes, jotting down ideas, you name it. There is even a stack of used Moleskines, carefully indexed, on the top shelf of my closet. But since Evernote and I became BFFs, my Moleskines haven’t been seeing as much attention.

I still use my Moleskines for brainstorming and sketching out ideas, but almost all my writing is in Evernote now. For some reason, brainstorming and note taking on paper are easier for me. I keep the ‘neat’ version of my notes in Evernote. Maybe it’s a generational thing – I didn’t grow up with computers – or maybe its just a personal preference. Either way, where I used to go through a standard 5 x 8 Moleskine every couple of months, I’m down to two a year.

Want more time in your day?

Are you ready to learn more about Digital Productivity and how to get out of the office quicker?

28 November 2018

Records retention guidelines may vary in their recommendations, but you can usually consider these guidelines to apply to both paper and digital files. Yes, you could hang on to digital files longer since they appear to take up less space. But the question becomes, do you need to?

Instead of weeding through their digital files, many people purchase more cloud storage or an external hard drive. But consider this…purchasing that extra space is equivalent to purchasing a storage unit for your physical papers. Do you really want to do that?

Vital documents such as a birth certificate, marriage license, immunization records, etc. should be considered permanent. These are often in paper form, so go ahead and scan them into your computer to have a second copy you can keep ‘at home’ while you put the originals in a safe place. When discussing records retention, financial documents require special attention. I recommend contacting a lawyer or financial advisor if you have specific questions about keeping your investment reports or other financial paperwork.

For more information, check out these guidelines for how long to keep your records:

Want more time in your day?

About Me

At Ilios Digital Organizing, we make sure technology works for you. Specializing in digital productivity and tech organizing, we focus on finding ways you can use technology to help your business grow and prosper.